Benzo-c-phenanthridine alkaloids can be extracted from plants of the familiar Papaversease, Fumariaceae, and Berberidaceae. Some of the plants of these familiar includes Sanguinaria canadensis, Macleaya cordata, Bocconia frutescens, Carydalis sevctcozii, C. ledebouni, Argemone mexicanus, and Chelidonium majus. Among the most important benzo-c-phenanthridine alkaloids obtained from these plants are sanguinarine, chelirubine, macarpine, allocryptopine, protopine, hemochelidonene, sanguilatine, sanguiribine, and chelerythrine.
The best known of these alkaloids is sanguinarine, which has been extracted from the Sanguinaria canadensis plant (otherwise known as bloodroot, teteroot, redroot, puccoon, etc.) a perennial herb native to North America. The sanguinaria plant and its juices have been used for various proposes in pre-historic and historic times. The plants have been used, in particular, as a folk remedies. The plants have generally been used while, either undried (fresh) or dried, and the usual procedure is to powder the dried plant and mix it with a carrier. This folk remedy has been tried for such conditions as bronchitis, dysentery, ringworm and a substantial list of other ailments.
The pure chemicals sanguinarine, chelerythrine, protopine, chelerubine, berberine, chelilutine, sanguilatine, macarpine, sanguirubine and allocryptopine can be isolated from plants other than Sanguinaria. They are also available, although rarely, from some chemical supply houses. Semi-purified forms of the alkaloids are commercially available, and these are generally referred to as sanguinarine nitrate and sanguinarine sulfate. These compounds are the salts of the mixed alkaloids of the plant Sanguinaria: mainly sanguinarine, chelerythrine, and protopine. While few references can be found in the literature regarding the usage of any of the pure benzophenanthridine alkaloids, plants containing such compounds have been used for a wide variety of medical ailments.
The alkaloid sanguinarine in solution has been shown to have some antifungal and antiprotozoan properties. The sanguinarine is applied as an emulsion topically to fungal infections. The antibacterial activity of sanguinarine has been found to vary with attached radicals, and various salts of sanguinarine have been shown to have some activity. The hydrochloride and the sulfate salts have been found to have some activity against certain bacteria at certain concentrations. Sanguinarine nitrate is reported to have some bacteriostatic action against various types of bacteria.
The use of an extract of Sanguinaria canadensis as an ingredient in oral cleaning preparation, in particular, toothpaste, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,412.
This extract is produced by treating a finely cut or ground bloodroot with an organic solvent, such as methanol. The bloodroot is thoroughly stirred with several volumes of the solvent, and is maintained in the solvent for 24 hours or more, at a temperature of about 60.degree. C. Subsequently, the solution is filtered and the methanol is evaporated. The residue is dissolved in chloroform, treated with concentrated hydrochloric acid, filtered and then dried. These dried extract is generally taken up in warm glycerine (65.degree. C.) for mixing with a carrier.
High purity of the sanguinarine can be obtained by various methods such as exemplified from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 822,967 filed Jan. 28, 1986 and Ser. No. 827,143 filed Feb. 7, 1986, now abandoned, incorporated herein by reference.